Keith’s comeback on Senior Day

Florida State senior swimmer McKenna Keith returned to the pool for the first time in six months after overcoming a bout with Hodgkin's lymphoma.(Photo: Gary Putnik/FSView)

Not too many people expect to make a full recovery and return to a normal life after being diagnosed with a life-threatening disease such as cancer. However, McKenna Keith, a senior for Florida State swimming, did expect to be back in the pool after being given the shock of a lifetime.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system.

One of the main symptoms of Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the swelling of the lymph nodes in your neck, armpits and groin areas. With advances in modern science, both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are treatable, and a full recovery comes at a high success rate if caught in its early stages.

In July of 2018, Florida State senior swimmer Keith was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma while training with her boyfriend in Germany. After noticing a lump on her neck when she arrived in Germany, Keith thought it was just a knot resulting from the long flight. After waiting for some time and noticing no changes she decided to speak with a doctor.

Dealing with a language barrier at the doctors' offices served as a problem. Keith did not speak German, which made receiving her diagnosis even more difficult.

“I had look it up on Google translate, and all I read was that lymphoma is a type of cancer,” Keith said. “It was probably one of the hardest days of my life, but it was something that I’ve grown from so much.”

Throughout chemotherapy, doctors usually don’t want their patients partaking in any physically strenuous activities. However, Keith wasn’t like most patients, and from the moment she finished her first few treatments she was eager to get back in the pool and resume training with her teammates.

While looking up other notable people who have had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, one name stood out to Keith in that of Pittsburgh Steelers' running back James Conner. Diagnosed during the winter of his junior year at the University of Pittsburgh, Connor eventually beat it and was able to return to the field during his senior year.

For the Boca Raton, Florida native, seeing someone like Connor battle and defeat Hodgkin’s lymphoma served as an inspiration for Keith.

“I saw videos of him doing training throughout treatment and I used that as such a big inspiration,” Keith said. “I can be normal and I can be active.”

Although she was not at FSU for her entire career, transferring from the University of South Carolina during her junior year, Keith’s teammates have treated her like family.

Welcoming her with open arms, her teammates and coaches did their part in helping make Keith’s journey easier, including setting up a GoFundMe campaign that raised $6,175 to help pay for her medical bills.

“It’s so nice that we have such a strong bond with everybody,” senior captain William Pisani said. “We know if someone's hurting or down that they can count on us to help them get back on their feet.”

When Keith was diagnosed over the summer, she always looked towards Senior Day as her return date. Letting FSU head coach Neil Studd know this bit of information helped both of them figure out what it would take for her to be ready for a return in late January.

Once Keith receiving a cancer-free diagnosis this December, Saturday's return date became even more realistic.

“It was amazing,” Keith said. “The best Christmas gift I could ever imagine.”

During Saturday’s meet, Keith competed in the 200-yard medley relay, the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle relay. In both of the relays she competed in, Keith played the role of the anchor and helped the Seminoles pick up points by finishing first in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

In the 50-yard freestyle, she finished tied third with a time of 24.65 seconds as Florida State defeated Florida Atlantic 191-100 in the point totals.

For the Garnet & Gold’s men’s team, the win brought them to a 4-5 record on the season, while the women’s team sports an 11-1 record heading into their final meet next weekend at Auburn.

Following the win, Studd spoke about how important it was to have Keith compete and have her family in attendance at Saturday’s meet.

“It’s a great silver lining to a tough time for them,” Studd said. “To have her here, and to have her family be watching and make it on senior day, that was the big cheer there to make sure McKenna won that last relay.”

After her name was announced by the public address announcer and her family walked with her along the pool, everyone in her group, including McKenna, was smiling ear to ear in pure joy as they took in a moment they would never forget.

“It was surreal; they’ve been with me through this whole process and to have them here means the world to me,” Keith said. “It was just a perfect day, honestly, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Over the past four years in the pool she has put together the makings of a solid collegiate career. At USC, and FSU she has recorded six top-10 finishes, including a win in the 50-yard freestyle at the South Carolina Quad Meet during her 2016-17 campaign, along with a personal best 23.23 second 50 yard freestyle Keith’s athletic talent has been proven time and time again.

However, Keith's hard work extends far beyond the pool, as she was also named to the ACC Honor Roll during her junior year at FSU.

Keith's time at Florida State will be coming to a close academically this spring as she graduates in May.

Keith told the Palm Beach Postthat she plans on working towards becoming a nurse so that she can hep others the way her nurses did.